SAN JOSE -- A five-alarm blaze Sunday afternoon burned through a former television news studio near downtown where up to 30 homeless people occasionally stayed overnight.

The fire was so large the cities of Santa Clara and Sunnyvale sent ladder companies to help the San Jose Fire Department.

"This is a big fire for us," San Jose fire Capt. Reggie Williams said late Sunday afternoon. "We can't tell you whether or not there are still people in there."

Williams said the fire started about 3 p.m. The roof and walls of the former KNTV-11 building on Park Avenue collapsed soon after the﻿ blaze erupted.

Williams said firefighters attempted to get inside to look for people, but the flames, smoke and heat drove them back.

Scene of downtown San Jose fire. (Qin Chen)

"We'll be here well into the night," he said, adding that rescue workers would enter and search for survivors or victims as soon as it was safe.

Williams said two people, apparently homeless individuals, had come out of the building safely when firefighters arrived.

As five ladder companies poured thousands of gallons per minute onto the fire, dozens of onlookers, residents and news reporters gathered at the corner of Park and Montgomery Street and at a few more vantage points. More than a few onlookers took photos and posted the images on social media.

In late afternoon, the wind shifted and pushed smoke, ash and mist into the crowd at Park and Montgomery, driving most of them away.

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Ironically and luckily, Williams said, firefighters were familiar with the building. It sat across the street from the department's training facility. In 2012, the KNTV building -- vacant since 1994 -- was also used for fire training.

Firefighters had Sunday's fire under control by 5 p.m. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries and were treated and released, Williams said. A total of 100 firefighters battled the blaze.

Anyone with information about the fire may call the San Jose Fire Department at 408-277-8952.